Farm families have been urged to stop drinking unpasteurised milk on their farms, described as an "extremely dangerous practice". The warning came from Dr Patrick Wall, chief executive of the Food Safety Authority, on the publication of a report which showed that 84 per cent of farm families drink unpasteurised milk.
Dr Wall said the emergence of E coli 0157:H7 and new strains of salmonella that are resistant to several antibiotics had made drinking unpasteurised milk extremely dangerous. E coli 0157 can cause kidney failure and death, especially in children and the elderly. He said the milk of even apparently healthy cows can contain harmful bacteria. "Farmers and their families who are drinking unpasteurised milk should stop and should purchase a home pasteuriser for their milk. These are not expensive and are effective. It is worrying that such a large percentage of farmers and their families are drinking raw milk. Simply because a herd is free of brucellosis and tuberculosis doesn't mean that the milk does not contain other pathogens," he said.
The "On-Farm Study of Consumption of Unpasteurised Milk", found that in Co Cork raw milk was being consumed from herds restricted due to suspected brucellosis and TB infections.
The study, which was launched at a meeting of the Local Authority Veterinary Officers' Association, found the highest level of consumption of raw milk on farms in Co Kildare (97 per cent) and the lowest in Waterford (62 per cent).